★ Paranoia

Chapter 3

The house Mikey lived in was separate from the villages, so it took a little longer to walk to the West Village. He wanted to bring JJ here to relive a positive memory, despite the destruction of the village being primarily what both of them remembered when they thought of it. But there was somewhere that held nothing but good memories.

The café had been slightly remodeled, but other than that, it looked just the same as when they'd last came here. They'd been inside last time, sitting at one of those small, round tables with the really tall chairs, but it was so beautiful outside today that Mikey wanted him and JJ to sit at the outdoor seating. The warm sun and gentle breeze might help calm JJ down.

"And when he's calm, there will be less mistakes." Mikey told himself, trying to shake off his unease because of earlier. "He'll be back to his old self in no time once he adjusts to the fact that he's back home with me now, and that there's not danger around every turn."

They took their seats, and within thirty seconds, someone was there to take their order. Mikey asked for a chocolate muffin with a glass of milk, but when it came for JJ's turn to say something, he didn't. He drew his fingers back and forth along the rim of his hood, his blank eyes slowly shifting to the people sitting around them.

"...and he'll have a vanilla latte." Mikey filled in for him. He wanted to get JJ something that wasn't too much, yet would still fill him up decently. Mikey didn't know how well people were fed at prison, but he doubted it was any good. He wanted JJ to start eating and drinking real things again.

When the waitress walked away, Mikey reached forward and took JJ's hand in his own. JJ seemed to snap back to reality then, his eyes softening and appearing to gain their color back again as he looked straight at him.

"I hope you don't mind that I ordered for you." Mikey's face got warm as he looked down at the table, unable to handle JJ's direct gaze for too long before he got noticeably flustered. He smiled. "I thought you might like it. If you don't, I can pay for another thing for you. Just let me know."

JJ smoothed over the turtle's hand with his own, before leaning down and gently kissing it. Mikey blushed more, watching as the spark festered in JJ's eyes. This was the man he was in love with; right here, right now, JJ was back, if not only for a moment.

"Money is a trick." JJ whispered softly. Although he looked present, there was solemnity in his eyes too. He looked like he wanted to go more into it, but thought better of it because the situation they were in called for a different kind of energy. "Use as little of it as you can. I'll be perfectly happy with anything you get for me, sweetheart. Anything will taste delicious if it's you who put thought into it."

The breeze picked up ever so slightly, and JJ had an odd reaction to it. He suddenly became hyperaware of his surroundings, observing everything, including Mikey and his touch, as if he thought it was an illusion and that it would all disappear in moments. The solemnity in his eyes remained, as though accepting the idea that this could possibly not be real, and relishing what he was experiencing while he still could. He thought that he might blink the next moment and suddenly be back in prison.

"You're free now, JJ." Mikey whispered, pity tangling in his stomach. Even before all of this, the mention of prison gave him a distant sense of dread. But now, knowing how it affected his JJ made him outright nauseous when he thought about it. He'd known it; he'd known from the very start prison wouldn't help. "Now I'll have to work to bring him back. I know you're still in there, JJ. I'll fix whatever that place broke inside you."

Mikey wasn't even sure if JJ had heard him. His eyes were half closed, as if he were preparing for what he thought was an illusion to disappear, and to be surrounded by dull gray again. Mikey tried gently saying his name again, but he didn't respond.